“Insidious” is a horror movie from the writer and the director of the original “Saw” film, so anyone expecting the happy two-parent, three-child family introduced at the beginning of the film to stay happy is going to be disappointed.
Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai (Rose Byrne) have just moved into a new house with their children, but things seem out of place when Renai notices strange things happening in their house. The plot really starts when their oldest son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) hits his head in their attic and falls into a inexplicable coma the next day.
The spooky paranormal events that ensue are noticeably more intense for Renai and her family. When these events continue even after moving houses, it leads them to call in a paranormal expert, Elise (Lin Shaye). This expert unveils a startling secret about Josh’s past that can also explain their current haunting.
The tension and suspense prior to Dalton’s accident is quickly replaced with cheap shocks and quick scares. While it successfully delivers the adrenaline-inducing scares that horror fans seek, it ultimately grows tedious.
When the scares are at their peak, they come so quickly and frequently that they actually start to seem more silly than shocking. And at an hour in, they fail to deliver any explanation for the hauntings, adding to their unintentional comedy.
Elise and her two expert cohorts act like a straight-played version of Ghostbusters and serve as a sort of deus ex machina, suddenly explaining in about 10 minutes the cause behind the haunting.
After this point, the plot actually advances past unexplained thrills and random startles and focuses more on resolving the dilemma rather than scaring the viewer.
Another major detraction from the film was the dialogue. While much of the film is spent in anticipation of what scary apparition will pop up next, the softer moments are difficult to get through simply because much of the dialogue feels unnatural.
There’s also a great deal of information presented to the viewer, especially early on, which ultimately serves no purpose. The film goes to a great extent to show that this family is close-knit, but none of it is really necessary when the audience understands this aspect within the first 10 minutes of the film.
All of this negativity aside, “Insidious” does offer some genuinely good thrills, and fans of similar material will not be disappointed. The film is at its best when enjoyed with friends to share the thrills.
The plot is a little nonsensical and nothing new, but how the film goes about presenting the story is certainly interesting, if not a little disjointed. Except for a few slower moments toward the end, most viewers will probably find themselves engrossed in trying to figure out what’s going on and what’s going to happen.
Ultimately, “Insidious” is not going to leave a major impact on the horror genre. If viewers are looking for a good shock-a-minute horror film, they could certainly do far worse, but they could probably do better.
Email Overstreet at moverstreet@media.ucla.edu.